Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 1, 1995 TAG: 9504050004
SECTION: RELIGION PAGE: C-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: GARY D. ROBERTSON ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: CHARLOTTE LENGTH: Medium
Charlotte, one of the Bible Belt's fastest-growing cities, recently has become home to five respected evangelical seminaries that are preparing ministers by teaching them less about theology and more about meeting the needs of today's flock, school officials say.
``We have looked at the future of theological education, and the future is Charlotte,'' said Bob Dagele, a spokesman for Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
Gordon-Conwell already has a thriving campus of several hundred students in South Hamilton, Mass. But Wayne Goodwin, head of the Charlotte campus, said seminary trustees 10 years ago wanted to open a state-of-the-art, commuter campus in the South - and Charlotte seemed the perfect place.
The traditional, ``resident'' seminary track doesn't give new pastors the practical experience they need, Goodwin says. Seminarians aren't learning how to handle the church board or the choir director, or how to counsel a couple whose marriage is falling apart.
``Most seminaries are training wonderfully academically,'' said Rev. David Chadwick, pastor of Forest Hills Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, where the school holds classes, ``but until you get into the strange animal that is the church, you're not going to be ready to minister.''
At Southern Evangelical Seminary, which held its first classes in 1992, the 100 students see firsthand how one of the largest churches in North Carolina operates.
Interdenominational Calvary Church, which hosts the seminary, has 4,000 members participating in 95 different ministries.
``Doctors are trained in hospitals, so pastors should be trained in churches,'' said Norman Geisler, dean of the Southern seminary and a longtime seminary professor.
Charlotte's a good place to practice. The birthplace of the Rev. Billy Graham, former chairman of Gordon-Conwell's board of trustees, the city has a population of 400,000 and about 600 houses of worship.
Until recently, however, Charlotte offered no graduate-level religious training. Also, many people felt their ministers were conversant in Greek and Hebrew, but not in the day-to-day language of their flock.
The area's good roads and booming economy also made Charlotte attractive.
In addition to Gordon-Conwell and Southern, the city drew the Jackson, Miss.-based Reformed Theological Seminary.
Two closer schools, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest and Columbia International University in South Carolina, offer classes in Charlotte.
Gordon-Conwell's nearly 300 students must be actively involved in Christian service all the time they are in school. Each also must have a ``mentor,'' someone already in full-time ministry.
``You need to learn to help people with everyday life,'' said the Rev. Anthony Jinwright, 38, senior pastor at predominantly black Salem Baptist Church, and a seminary doctoral candidate. ``They're trying to provide us with practical information.''
The students - many entering school in their mid-30s to begin a second career - are becoming computer-literate. Electronic kiosks allow students to download assignments. The 40,000-volume library catalog is on line.
Like most satellite campuses, classes are held at nights or weekends, and students can enter the program anytime during the year.
Society is ``changing as much as in the day of Luther,'' said Goodwin, who wrote his doctoral dissertation on the changing seminary. ``Geography is not an issue.''
But for now, geography may be everything, says Lyle Schaller, a church consultant for 35 years and author of nearly 50 books, most on religious trends.
Schaller says traditional seminaries have become increasingly concerned about attracting students.
A recent foundation study indicates many seminaries are strapped financially, and potential students don't want to leave home.
by CNB